Last night the Montreal Canadiens walked away with a much-needed victory over the Florida Panthers, but that has done only a little to dispel the concerns around a Habs team that has had a very poor start.
As a result there have been a lot of trade rumors floating around the Canadiens organization and, while most of those have centered around forward Alex Galchenyuk, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman believes that Habs enforcer Andrew Shaw is a more likely trade target.
GM Marc Bergevin is determined not to make a panic move. Not a day goes by without an Alex Galchenyuk rumour, but, if he is dealt now, it is the ultimate in selling low — pennies on the dollar. Unless the organization simply wants to cut ties, that’s not ideal. I do think they would move Andrew Shaw, potentially keeping some part of his salary. Shaw does have four more years at $3.9 million. Trading with term is not easy.
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While Shaw at nearly $4 million per season may not sound particularly appealing to rival teams, the Canadiens can retain up to 50% of his current salary. A discounted Andrew Shaw could certainly draw interest on the trade market.
More to come.
